New wind facility at Texas Tech could increase productivity

A new wind research facility built at Texas Tech University will give scientists a way to study underperforming wind farms, allowing them to test interactions between turbines and potentially create more efficient ways to collect wind energy.

The Scaled Wind Farm Technology (or SWiFT) facility will allow researchers to test and develop cost-efficient new forms of wind turbine technology, specifically focusing on improving their overall performance abilities, according to NewsWise.

Texas Tech’s new research site currently includes three research turbines, all V27 models. Two of them belong to the Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratories, while a third is owned by turbine manufacturer Vestas.

“Some estimates show that 10 to 40 percent of wind energy production and revenue is lost due to complex wind plant interaction,” Sandia project technical lead Jon White said.

The facility could expand to contain at least nine more wind turbines, which would open up possibilities for researchers to determine how interactions between turbines on wind farms can positively or negatively affect the farm’s overall production. Eventually, this could lead to revolutionary research that could help entire wind farms become more productive around the world, allowing turbines to work together and become more efficient.

Turbine testing is a common occurrence, but the SWiFT facility is the first allowing researchers to truly examine how they work in action and in tandem. Research done in this format can create wide-ranging changes in overall wind energy production and help the technology become more widespread.

The SWiFT facility is the first of its kind in the United States, and its leaders have said they want to built up to 100 machines in the future to judge interactions and see what hinders or helps wind production, according to Oklahoma City’s KFOR-TV.

By creating more efficient and effective wind farm testing of components and performance, manufacturers can lower their production and maintenance costs while extending longer lifespans for their products.